הָיָה רוֹכֵב עַל הַחֲמוֹר, יֵרֵד.
וְאִם אֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לֵירֵד, יַחֲזִיר אֶת פָּנָיו,
וְאִם אֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לְהַחֲזִיר אֶת פָּנָיו,
יְכַוֵּן אֶת לִבּוֹ כְּנֶגֶד בֵּית קֹדֶשׁ הַקָּדָשִׁים:
One who was riding on a donkey should dismount and pray.
If he is unable to dismount, he should turn his face.
If he is unable to turn his face, it is sufficient that he focus his heart opposite the Holy of Holies.
תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: כְּשֶׁחָלָה רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר נִכְנְסוּ תַּלְמִידָיו לְבַקְּרוֹ.
אָמְרוּ לוֹ: רַבֵּינוּ לַמְּדֵנוּ אוֹרְחוֹת חַיִּים וְנִזְכֶּה בָּהֶן לְחַיֵּי הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא.
אָמַר לָהֶם: הִזָּהֲרוּ בִּכְבוֹד חַבְרֵיכֶם,
וּמִנְעוּ בְּנֵיכֶם מִן הַהִגָּיוֹן,
וְהוֹשִׁיבוּם בֵּין בִּרְכֵּי תַּלְמִידֵי חֲכָמִים, וּכְשֶׁאַתֶּם מִתְפַּלְּלִים —
דְּעוּ לִפְנֵי מִי אַתֶּם עוֹמְדִים.
וּבִשְׁבִיל כָּךְ תִּזְכּוּ לְחַיֵּי הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא.
The Sages taught: When Rabbi Eliezer fell ill, his students entered to visit him. They said to him: Teach us paths of life, guidelines by which to live, and we will thereby merit the life of the World-to-Come.
He said to them: Be vigilant in the honor of your counterparts,
and prevent your children from logic when studying verses that tend toward heresy (ge’onim),
and place them between the knees of Torah scholars,
and when you pray, know before Whom you stand.
For doing that, you will merit the life of the World-to-Come.
“He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.’ 2He said to them, ‘When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name… “(Luke 11:2-3)
“Then someone came to him and said, ‘Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?’ 17And he said to him, ‘Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.’ ”
(Matt 19:16-17)
תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן,
בֵּית הִלֵּל אוֹמְרִים:
עוֹמְדִין וְקוֹרִין,
יוֹשְׁבִין וְקוֹרִין,
וּמַטִּין וְקוֹרִין,
הוֹלְכִין בַּדֶּרֶךְ וְקוֹרִין,
עוֹשִׂין בִּמְלַאכְתָּן וְקוֹרִין.
The Sages taught in a baraita that Beit Hillel say:
One may recite Shema:
Standing and reciting,
sitting and reciting,
reclining and reciting,
walking and reciting
and working and reciting.
אֲמַר לִי רַבִּי חֲנִינָא בְּרֵיהּ דְּרַבִּי אֲבָהוּ אָמַר רַבִּי אֲבָהוּ אָמַר רַבִּי אַבְדִּימִי דְּמִן חֵיפָא:
חָכָם עוֹבֵר עוֹמֵד מִלְּפָנָיו אַרְבַּע אַמּוֹת וְכֵיוָן שֶׁעָבַר אַרְבַּע אַמּוֹת יוֹשֵׁב.
As Ḥizkiyya says: Rabbi Ḥanina, son of Rabbi Abbahu, said to me that Rabbi Abbahu says that Rabbi Avdimi of Haifa says:
If a Torah scholar is passing, one stands before him if he passes within four cubits of him,
and once he passes four cubits from him he sits.
וא"ר אחא בר חנינא א"ר אסי א"ר יוחנן: כל המברך על החדש בזמנו
כאילו מקבל פני שכינה...
אמר אביי הלכך נימרינהו מעומד.
And Rabbi Aḥa bar Ḥanina says that Rabbi Asi says that Rabbi Yoḥanan says: Anyone who blesses the new month in its proper time, it is as if he greets the Face of the Divine Presence...
Abaye said: Therefore, we will say the blessing while standing, in honor of the Divine Presence.
לא היתה ישיבה בעזרה אלא למלכי בית דוד בלבד.
(תוספתא סנה ד ד)
There was no sitting in the Temple courtyard except for the kings of the house of David.
(Tosefta Sanhedrin 4:4)
גְּמִירִי דִּלְמַעְלָה לָא הָוֵי לֹא יְשִׁיבָה
There is a tradition that in the world above there is no sitting...